An unexpected announcement

(This part is a little longer than I'd like but stick with it, we'll get to the fun in a bit)

When Jessica arrived at Brolin's Diner, she was greeted by the thing every restaurant employee fears most:

A Staff Meeting in the kitchen.

Leaning against the plating counter was Greg, a tall, blond bus-boy who was probably 19, he was easy on the eyes but Jessica never mixed business with pleasure as a general rule so she'd never learned his real age but he carried himself like someone younger than her.

Standing up straight with her arms crossed was Donna, a woman in her early 30's who looked 10 years older than that with the way she wore those thin-rimmed glasses on the end of her nose and her red hair in a perpetual bun. The heavier-set woman tended to be a little on the prudish side. Fine by Jessica, the two seldom got along if they talked long enough.

Hunched over in the corner like a wallflower at homecoming was Ellie, a timid little thing with big, thick glasses and a mop of auburn hair who keeps to herself mostly. 23 years old, was a sheltered over-achiever in highschool, never been kissed, that whole thing. Jessica felt bad for the nervous girl when she first started and even though Ellie was older than her, Jessica had a bit of a big-sis sorta relationship with her.

Finally there were the fry cooks, Chance and Big Bertha. Chance was one of those guys you see every now and then who could either be 25 or 45 and you'd never really know unless you asked. Jessica never did, she liked the mystery as it suited Chance's ditzy, whimsical personality. Short and skinny with dark hair, long and wavy. Eyes always a little red, complimented with the ever-present smell of weed covered up by some kind of old cologne she swore her grandpa used to wear.

Bertha was comedically different to Chance in every way. The imposing brunette was tall, taller than Greg even. She was stocky for a woman, even though she was a little on the heavier side, you could see a little muscle on her arms when she rolled up her sleeves. Jessica never really asked her what her deal was and instead made up this whole head canon that Bertha was a former member of a biker gang. She was quiet and seldom laughed or smiled, but was always good to bum a cigarette from on a hard day.

Finally there was Pete; a sheepish, balding man of 50 or so. He nodded to Jessica as she entered and waited for her to get situated. When she did, next to Ellie, Pete cleared his throat, "Ahem, uh, well, now that everyone's here... Guys, I got some bad news: This is our last week running the diner."

The group all voiced their dismay at the oncoming fate of losing their jobs but Pete continues. He explains that Brolin's Diner is so far in the hole that they'd need some miracle rush, more than triple their usual day's earnings to make the next payment to the bank. The staff all look at each other, knowing in their hearts there was no way a dump like Brolin's could pull in that kinda money. With a collective sigh, the meeting is adjourned and the staff go to their stations. Here's to an awkward day of knowing everyone will be out of a job by next Monday...